Philip Madoc played Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bain, who looks back nostalgically to the days when policing involved chasing villains, playing rugger and drinking Guinness, but has come to recognise that contemporary policing imposes dilemmas that no training manual could ever contemplate.

Bain is a widower and has a tempestuous relationship with his daughter, Hannah Bain, (Ffion Wilkins) who, despite resenting the lack of time her father spent with the family because of police work, becomes a WPC on the same police force. DCI Bain's close friendship with police pathologist Prof. Margaret Edwards (Sharon Morgan) remains enigmatic as he fears treading the same path that caused so many problems for his family. Joining the regulars in the last series were Bryn Fon, Ieuan Rhys,Huw Llyr and Elen Bowman.